Background Story
The Polynesian people were the most widely spread people on the earth before 1500 A.D. From Hawaii at the top point in the north, to New Zealand as the Southwest point, and Easter Island in the East, formed the area in the Pacific Ocean known as the “Polynesian Triangle”. In this area, there were many islands, some close to each other and some very, very far apart. Despite the vast distances between the island groups, there are many ancient stories that are similar among most of the islands.
It is a commonly accepted belief that the Polynesians had traveled down from Southeast Asia into the Pacific a very long time ago and with their exceptional navigating skills settled in “waves” successively throughout the many islands of the Pacific Ocean. Everywhere they settled, the Polynesians carried their legends with them, and when they reached a new land, these traditional myths were adapted to the local surroundings, enriched, and then passed down from generation to generation. As time and distance separated the Polynesian groups from one another, local variations and even new elements appeared in their traditional narratives.
The Polynesian mythology represents one of the most detailed collections of stories relating to the gods, demigods, and heroes that can be found anywhere in the world. The ancient Pacific people spent their creative energies in weaving complex, oral narratives that consisted of priestly chants, lengthy legends of gods and heroes, and love lyrics known to chiefs and commoners alike.
The business of preserving the sacred oral chants of Polynesian gods and heroes as well as the genealogies of their chiefs was generally the responsibility of certain individuals within the society. In New Zealand, it was the ceremonial priests, tahunga; in Hawai’i, the haku-mele (master of song); and in Tonga, the faiva faka-Tonga. In New Zealand, special houses (whare wananga) were sometimes built to instruct young students in the traditional mythology, genealogy, dance, and chant composition. In Tahiti, the Arioi Society, a highly organized traveling “minstrel” group, entertained the people from one island to another with dance, music, and pantomime. In Hawaii, the hula schools (halau) performed the dramatic stories. The training of the students in the sacred lore was rigorous and exact.*
Today, the stories of the gods and goddesses can still be seen performed at the Merrie Monarch in Hawaii, or the Tahitian Heiva which creates complex music/dance spectacles based on these ancient stories.
The newest Purotu Collection is inspired by the very powerful characters from these ancient stories. There are many different versions of the God’s and Goddesses’ stories. We have tried to summarize the basic qualities associated with the God/Goddess and we share one story out of the many that are out there.
The Goddess Collection idea was suggested to Nalini by Hawane Rios and we were more than happy to go for it and we didn’t want to leave out the guys so we added the Gods in there. Many of our friends and family were helpful and encouraging to us in this project and for that we are grateful. Special thanks to both our parents for their financial back-up, to Kuiokalani Gapero for his cultural advisory, Hawane Rios for modeling Pele and Laka and especially for the inspiration, Alexandria Gasper for modeling Poliahu, Christian James Photography, MJ Pics Hawaii, Pat Reglos, Deja, and Ligia Barnett for Make-up Artistry, and Ryan Russell from Gingabox for website assistance.
We hope you like our new collection, we have put a lot of thought, research, and aloha into our pieces. We welcome feedback of any kind. Mauruuru!
*The information above is from the book, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, by Robert D. Craig. (Pages xi,xii,xiii,xvii,xviii)
Literary References for the whole collection:
Hawaiian Mythology by Martha Beckwith
Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology by Robert D. Craig
French Polynesia Jewelers' Guidebook by G.I.E. Perles de Tahiti
It is a commonly accepted belief that the Polynesians had traveled down from Southeast Asia into the Pacific a very long time ago and with their exceptional navigating skills settled in “waves” successively throughout the many islands of the Pacific Ocean. Everywhere they settled, the Polynesians carried their legends with them, and when they reached a new land, these traditional myths were adapted to the local surroundings, enriched, and then passed down from generation to generation. As time and distance separated the Polynesian groups from one another, local variations and even new elements appeared in their traditional narratives.
The Polynesian mythology represents one of the most detailed collections of stories relating to the gods, demigods, and heroes that can be found anywhere in the world. The ancient Pacific people spent their creative energies in weaving complex, oral narratives that consisted of priestly chants, lengthy legends of gods and heroes, and love lyrics known to chiefs and commoners alike.
The business of preserving the sacred oral chants of Polynesian gods and heroes as well as the genealogies of their chiefs was generally the responsibility of certain individuals within the society. In New Zealand, it was the ceremonial priests, tahunga; in Hawai’i, the haku-mele (master of song); and in Tonga, the faiva faka-Tonga. In New Zealand, special houses (whare wananga) were sometimes built to instruct young students in the traditional mythology, genealogy, dance, and chant composition. In Tahiti, the Arioi Society, a highly organized traveling “minstrel” group, entertained the people from one island to another with dance, music, and pantomime. In Hawaii, the hula schools (halau) performed the dramatic stories. The training of the students in the sacred lore was rigorous and exact.*
Today, the stories of the gods and goddesses can still be seen performed at the Merrie Monarch in Hawaii, or the Tahitian Heiva which creates complex music/dance spectacles based on these ancient stories.
The newest Purotu Collection is inspired by the very powerful characters from these ancient stories. There are many different versions of the God’s and Goddesses’ stories. We have tried to summarize the basic qualities associated with the God/Goddess and we share one story out of the many that are out there.
The Goddess Collection idea was suggested to Nalini by Hawane Rios and we were more than happy to go for it and we didn’t want to leave out the guys so we added the Gods in there. Many of our friends and family were helpful and encouraging to us in this project and for that we are grateful. Special thanks to both our parents for their financial back-up, to Kuiokalani Gapero for his cultural advisory, Hawane Rios for modeling Pele and Laka and especially for the inspiration, Alexandria Gasper for modeling Poliahu, Christian James Photography, MJ Pics Hawaii, Pat Reglos, Deja, and Ligia Barnett for Make-up Artistry, and Ryan Russell from Gingabox for website assistance.
We hope you like our new collection, we have put a lot of thought, research, and aloha into our pieces. We welcome feedback of any kind. Mauruuru!
*The information above is from the book, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, by Robert D. Craig. (Pages xi,xii,xiii,xvii,xviii)
Literary References for the whole collection:
Hawaiian Mythology by Martha Beckwith
Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology by Robert D. Craig
French Polynesia Jewelers' Guidebook by G.I.E. Perles de Tahiti
Contact us at: nalini@purotudesigns.com
